Spider Venom That Causes 4-Hour Erections

Information

This Exists: Spider Venom That Causes 4-Hour Erections Could Be ‘New Viagra’

You have to wonder about the guy who first discovered that being bitten by the fearsome-looking Brazilian wandering spider has an unusual side effect: erections lasting up to four hours. Well, word got around. Now venom from the spider’s slated to be ‘the new viagra.’

The eight-legged creature, which goes by the nicknames armed spider or banana spider is known to scientists as the Phoneutria nigriventer. But before you jet off to Central or South America in search of one to boost your bedroom performance, fear not. Nerds at the Medical College of Georgia are working on the spider’s venom as a treatment for erectile dysfunction–without requiring a person actually be bitten by the thing.

Downsides to the venom? It can kill you. But hey, isn’t that a risk you’re willing to take? As scientists told the UK Daily Mail:

r Kenia Nunes, a physiologist at the college, said: ‘The venom of the Phoneutria nigriventer spider is a very rich mixture of several molecules.

‘These molecules are called toxins, and then we have various toxins in this venom with different activity.

‘Because of this, when a human is bitten by this spider, we can observe many different symptoms including priapism, a condition in which the penis is continually erect.’